Dear World, I Miss My Critters. Love CJ

Hey all,

One of the hardest things about traveling and not having a real "home" is missing those you love.  For me it's my children.  All of them.  The human ones and the furry, scaly or feathery ones.  And while I can touch base with my human children by FB, Skype and emails, I have a difficult time having a bit of a chat with my critters.

I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals. ~~~Winston Churchill

Knowing we were going to be going overseas, I quit doing any rescues and most of my ferrets had died of old age by the time I went to Macau.  And Joxer, my last fert, passed away when we were waiting to meet up with Cirque in Paris.

So, now I'm down to two furry children.  My cat, Athena and my dog, Ares.  And I miss them so very much.  I was so used to them snuggling up against me when I was working.  Stepping on the keyboard and erasing most of my writing, getting fur all over my monitor and head bumping when they'd figured I'd ignored them for too long.

Ahhhh...good times!

But here, I don't have those distractions, and if I have one regret about being a circus gypsy, it's that.  I really miss having my fur friends around. 

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.~~~Roger Caras

I do what I can to get my fuzzy fix.  I make friends with dogs and try and learn how to say "here, kitty, kitty" in whatever language I need.  LOL  I visit zoos and have long conversations with whatever animal comes close enough to speak to.  But it's not the same.  I wish I could have a small pet.  Even a hamster would help, but I can't and that sucks.

I was reminded of how much I missed my babies when I checked my August holiday list. Did you know that today is International Homeless Animals Day?  As a shelter mom who has adopted cats, dogs, ferrets, rabbits, birds, reptiles and many other critters, homeless animals is an issue very close to my heart.  There are so many furry sweethearts out there who need homes, so I always encourage people to check out the shelters first.  You can save a life and find a forever friend at a shelter.  And if you have a few extra bucks, send it to your local shelter.  I guarantee you, they need it.  Feeding fur babies costs money.

A kitten is in the animal world what a rosebud is in the garden. ~~~Robert Southey

And if you don't have money, but have a little extra time, try working at a shelter.  There is always a lot to be done, from cleaning, to paperwork, to the fun part...exercising or loving on the animals.  And while there are a lot of excellent charities out there targeting human less-fortunates, I always give my extra cash to the SPCA and their like...because animals can't speak up for themselves.

So if you have critters of your own, give them a hug for me.  Know how fortunate you are to be able to experience the total love and loyalty of a dog or the humorous standoffishness of a cat.  Snuggle with them and tell them you love them.  Because they are special and a part of your family.  And that makes you one of the luckiest people on the planet.

I'll leave you with some special words by an obvious animal lover...

"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." ~ Immanual Kant

Until Wednesday...

Hugs,

CJ England

 

Follow Your Dreams

http://cjengland.com